Wawel Royal Castle is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Poland and is the Royal Palace where Polish monarchs once lived.
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Where is Wawel Castle?
Wawel castle is located in the heart of Krakow old town, at the top of the limestone outcrop of Wawel Hill, above the Vistula River. It’s easily within walking distance throughout the city centre. Or if you are staying a bit further out there are plenty of buses or the tram to get into the city centre.
Why is Wawel Castle Important?
As the the Polish crown residence for 5 centuries, the castle is very important in polish history. Some of the oldest buildings in the Wawel Royal Castle complex are as old as 970 CE. The current castle is also the home of one of Poland’s premier art collections. With a huge variety of important collections of paintings.
Wawel Cathedral
The Wawel Cathedral is in the same complex of buildings at the top of Wawel Hill. However this is run by a different organisation to Wawel Castle and you will have to visit here with separate tickets to the Wawel Royal Castle. You will see some of the beauty of the cathedral whilst walking through Wawel Castle gardens.
The Legend of the Wawel Dragon
Whilst exploring the city of Krakow you may notice the prevalence of dragon themed soft toys and other memorabilia for sale. This is because the famous Wawel dragon was said to live deep in a cave under Wawel Hill, in the centre of Krakow! The dragon demanded that the people of the city feed him their livestock or he would devour the people instead. So the legend says that the dragon ate many of the cities cattle before King Krak asked his sons to defeat the dragon so they could live in peace. The brothers stuffed a cow carcass with hay and sulphur, then offered it to the dragon. The sulphur made the dragon very thirsty and he drank, and drank from the Vistula river until he exploded!
You can see the statue of the dragon below the castle. Every 15 minutes it breathes out fire, which is clearly exciting!
In the summer you can also enter the Dragon’s den for a small fee, maximum of 25 people at a time. Tickets from the ticket machine at the entrance to the castle.
Wawel Castle Visitor Information
Cost of Entry
It’s free to enter the castle grounds of Wawel Castle, Royal gardens and even some of the exhibition areas. However, you will need to purchase a ticket to visit the main areas of Wawel Castle. These include the royal residence and interpretation areas.
The cost for tickets depend on which areas of the castle you wish to see. If you would like to see the royal apartments, state rooms, Wawel Recovered and Ottoman tents, this would be the Castle I and Castle II tickets which is around £18 per person. There are discounts for families, including free entry for under 7 years of age. Tickets for the crown treasury and Castle Underground need to be booked separately at approximately £8.50 per person each. You can also hire audio guides for a few pounds per person too.
Where Is the Entrance to Wawel Castle
The entrance to Wawel Castle is located toward the West, overlooking the Vistula River. You will need to follow the Droga du Zamku around the side of the castle to get to the entrance. Although there is a long set of steps leading up to the castle from Bernardynska. The ticket office is on the left as you enter through the archway.
Opening Hours
Opening hours vary and check before you visit, particularly on Polish holiday days. Most parts of the castle open between 9am to 4pm 7 days a week.
Guided Tour or Audio Guide
You can hire audio guides for the exhibitions at the ticket office near the entrance. However, if you prefer there is also the possibility of joining a tour of the castle instead.
Check out Get your Guide for details of tours currently available.
Where Should You DEFINITELY Visit In Wawel Castle?
There are a lot of places to see at Wawel castle, so you will definitely not want to miss the most important parts! But where to visit?!
Crown Treasury
This is always going to be an unmissable part of Wawel Castle as it’s filled with shiny treasures and an important symbol of Polish statehood. The highlight is of course Szczerbiec the historic Polish coronation sword. It has a special place in the centre of the exhibition. Don’t miss the others enchanting jewels and crowns that are displayed impressively in the new layout.
Royal Private Apartments
The royal apartments at Wawel castle were usually used as the residence of Polish Kings and Queens. They are located on the second floor of the castle, accessed by the renaissance style staircase. The rooms changed uses throughout the years of history, however they are currently decorated in the style of use from the 16th-17th century. We were quite intrigued by the tile stoves, which we have never seen before.
State Rooms
The state rooms are on the first floor of the castle and are were intended for state functions. For this reason they are large in size and have grand decor. The baroque style decor was created for King Sigismund III when the rooms were rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1595. The Envoys room is one of the largest of state rooms and was used as a throne room, court room and for sessions of the Sejm. However the most interesting part of the room is the ceiling, where there are carved wooden heads, 30 survive of the original 193, carved around the year 1540.
Castle Underground
The new permanent exhibitions of Lost Wawel and the Lapidarium are in this section of the castle. It was surprisingly quiet compared to the rest of the castle, but highly interesting. After Poland was partitioned in 1795, the castle was destroyed by the occupying Austrian military forces who removed stone work to build military barracks. The Lapidarium shows the restoration works with recovered stone work and how different pieces would originally have looked.
Armoury
The armoury features many military tools, from armour to swords and firearms. If you have children who enjoy fighting with sticks, they will probably also enjoy seeing all the weapons and armour that existed in the past!
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